Kitchen Experiment: Chewy Fudge Brownies Revision

UPDATE 20/11/17 I did further experimentations with this style of brownie, and found a better way of doing it. I thought instead of doing a whole new write up, I'd just update this one.

As I promised a few weeks ago on my blog, here is my recipe for proper, fudgy brownies!

When I first started my blog four years ago, I wrote a brownie recipe. I have been using at same recipe for years, but nowadays I find my taste in brownies has moved from cakey to fudgey: I like them to be squishy, but not super heavy. So, I thought I'd try and amend my already existing recipe into something a little fudgier, but still light enough to eat in great abundance.

This is essentially the exact same recipe as my previous one, but the ingredients are in slightly different proportion to each other: notably the butter and flour are lessened in favour of adding in more chocolate. I found the exact formula while I was making a base for a tray of cheesecake brownies.

This brownie recipe is another variation on my recent trials with replacing flour in cake recipes, like I did in my pecan pie and chocolate pie recipes. In this case, by replacing a half to two-thirds of the flour in a classic sponge cake with dark chocolate, and omitting the liquid, you get a deliciously dense brownie.

These brownies would go perfectly in a brownies sundae, like this one here.

INGREDIMENTS
Makes 12 brownies

• 2 medium (US Large) eggs
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) unsalted butter, or baking margarine
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) plain or dark chocolate, 55%-70% cocoa, or dairy-free chocolate
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) soft light brown sugar
• 3 ounces (85 grammes) caster sugar
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) plain spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons (10 millilitres) vanilla essence
• Up to 2 tablespoons (up to 30 millilitres) cocoa powder, to taste

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 170°C (325°F, Gas Mk.3), and grease a 9 inch (22 centimetre) square baking tin. Line the bottom with a square of non-stick baking paper, and then dust the sides with flour.
• In a microwave safe bowl, or heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together. Allow to cool slightly.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugars with an electric mixer until pale and thickened in consistency. This should take 4 full minutes.
• Beat in the vanilla, and then slowly add the melted chocolate in a stream, beating all the time with the electric mixer, until all the chocolate is incorporated.
• Sieve in the flour, then fold through gently with a metal spoon or silicone spatula. Pour the mixture into the tin, and smooth out the top as much as you can.
• Bake for 20 minutes on the centre shelf, or until the top is dry and a cocktail stick comes out clean when poked into the middle of the cake. Allow to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
• Cut into 12 squares and eat at room temperature, or warmed up with ice-cream. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.